I Do, Ace
by mrsroryhuntzberger
Summary: It's been eight years since Rory said "no" and Logan left for California. They were apart and life went on. Then there's a run in. Then there's a phone call. Takes place before "A Year in the Life" so some spoilers.


I'm a huge fan of Gilmore Girls and am in LOVE with Rory/Logan so after I watched (and rewatched) the revival I couldn't help but write about them. I wrote this all at once and before bed so there may be some grammar so apologies for that. I hope you enjoy!

Note: This story was originally posted on my AO3 account, brightlightsbigpicture.

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It's been eight years since Logan last saw her. Since she said "no" and he walked away. Eight years of ups and downs, successes and failures, and moments he will always cherish and moments he will always regrets. Eight years.

He'd thought about her during those eight years. More than he'd like to admit. It hurt him when she said no, more than some might have realized. When he arrived in California he started working right away. It was all he did for the first six months. He'd get up, he'd go to work, he'd work, he'd go home, he'd go to bed. That was it. Then one day his boss called Logan into his office and made it clear that the company couldn't afford to pay him so much overtime and that he needed to get a life. So he did.

The next two years were fairly uneventful. He made new friends, had a few one-night stands, got drunk a bit more often than he intended, and went to work. The most eventful moment was when he was drunk (10 shots of tequila and how-am-I-still-alive drunk) burned the last photo he had of Rory. It was from her 21st birthday, and his arm was wrapped around her and they were both grinning. This moment was, while eventful, also one of the many he regretted the most.

The two calm years ended suddenly when one of the expensive projects he'd been working on fell through (history repeats itself) and he was fired, his name tarnished on the west coast.

Logan lived off the money he had put in his savings for three months before he received a call from his father. Mitchum had heard about the project falling through and made him an offer: Move to England and work for the family business again.

He wanted to say no. He wanted to say no with a few bonus expletives but his empty fridge and his many bills made him say yes. At least that's what he told Colin and Finn. The truth was he said yes because he had nothing to lose. No reason not to. No girlfriend, no wife, no job, no friends (most of them worked at the same place he did and abandoned him after he was fired), no reason not to uproot his life and leave.

The next day he was on his way to London.

For five-and-a-half years his life was peaceful. He fell in routine. He wasn't thrilled being back in his father's clutches, but the work was interesting, the city was nice, and he was alive.

Then one Saturday morning he decided to get coffee at this café a few blocks away from his apartment. He had no big plans for the day (he could use a break after all) and figured why not.

He was about the open the café's door when suddenly someone flew out and ran into him, knocking him over and spilling coffee on the front of his trousers all at the same time.

His first thought was "thank God this is iced". His second thought was "what the hell?".

Then she opens her mouth. His assailant gasps, apologizes and asks if he's okay.

His third thought is "fuck".

He looks up. She freezes.

Rory Gilmore was speechless. Ironic for a woman who speaks over 200 words a minute.

He stands up, dusting himself off and smiles at her. "Hey."

Ten minutes later she's sitting on his couch and he's changing his pants.

Twenty minutes later, he's laughing at her story about Taylor and his attempt to color-code Stars Hollow. Twenty-five minutes later, she's leaning closely into him as he shows her pictures from his recent trip to Brazil. Thirty minutes later they're laughing and interrupting each other as they vividly recall that one time Finn tried to convince Paris to go on a date with him and ended up pants-less on the third page of the Yale Daily News. Thirty-five minutes later they're still laughing about Finn. Forty minutes later they are quiet and remembering they aren't in college anymore. Forty-five minutes later, Rory makes up a business meeting she has to go to, and Logan gives her his card, and as she leaves she promises to call.

She didn't break her promise, but she doesn't call as soon as he would've liked her to (four months after running into each other) and the conditions surrounding her call are heartbreaking (to say the least).

He was in his office. It was nine AM in London, and for once it was nice out. His office phone rings. It's a direct call. He picks it up after one ring.

"This is Logan Huntzberger."

"Logan." He froze. Rory.

"Logan, Logan, Logan, Logan, oh God Logan." She jabbers his name out before ending with a sigh. It's the first sign somethings wrong.

"Rory?"

"Yes. Hello. Hi. How are you?" she's speaking quickly, of course she is, but there's a nervous undertone to it. It's the second sign somethings wrong.

"Uh, I'm good." He answers as he quickly emails his secretary to have her cancel his 10 AM meeting. "Um, are you sober?"

"You think I'm drunk?" she seems appalled at the accusation. "God I wish I was. Being drunk is so nice. I used to hate being drunk to the point where I couldn't tell if what was happening was real –Have you ever gotten that drunk? Oh of course you've gotten that drunk! – but now I really wish I was at that point. I really wish I was that drunk." She sighs wistfully and he knows that wherever she is she's mapping out the closest bar.

Now he's really concerned. "Where are you?"

"Connecticut. Where are you?" He rolls his eyes at her responses.

"London. I mean where are you specifically in Connecticut."

"Oh." She pauses. "The women's bathroom."

That surprises him. "It's too quiet."

"I know. It's quiet cause no one else is in here." She explains. "I took a plant from the waiting room and used it to barricade the doors. A nurse has already threatened to call security." She giggles as if the idea of a guard kicking her out the women's bathroom is funny. "But I don't care."

"A nurse?" An idea, a theory, enters his head and it's not a good one. It's a devastating one. "Rory is everything okay?"

She's quiet for a moment and he fears she hung up on him. He's starting to search for flights to Connecticut when she responds.

"The fish didn't help." Her voice is low and somber. "The fish from the fish man, the one whose C.O.D. joke you laughed at. His fish didn't help."

Her words stir up memories and his stomach twists as his theory is all but outwardly confirmed.

"Grandma bought them thinking they would help, but they didn't."

He doesn't know what else to say but a soft "Rory…" that she cuts off.

"You were amazing. You were there and you were amazing. I wish it was like that time, Logan. I wish it was. It went so well last time. It was awful but it went so well. It ended so well."

He's silent. She continues to speaks even as small sobs quietly emerge.

"It didn't end like that. It didn't. It didn't even happen like it does in the movies. He just…His heart…Everything just stopped. It's not supposed to stop. He's always going and isn't supposed to stop. He isn't- "

She stops and suddenly the other line is filled with sobs. He wishes he could be there with her, holding her, instead of listening to her sob in an empty bathroom across the globe.

Suddenly she stops.

"I wasn't supposed to be here today. I was actually supposed to be in London, but the meeting got canceled last minute so I stayed. God what if I wasn't here? What if…" her voice trails off as she starts to sob once more.

She cries for a good few minutes before she composes herself.

"Rory…"

She's sudden and curt with her responses. "Logan don't."

He frowns. "Logan don't what?"

"Don't get on a plane and come here because I know you and I know you're thinking about it and please don't. I honestly don't know why I called you, I just did, but please don't do anything. You owe me nothing."

"Rory…"

"No." She snaps at him. "Logan I swear to God if you show up here I will never forgive you. I will never call you again and I will never forgive you."

He's torn between his heart breaking for her and her loss, and his heart soaring because she implied she might call him again.

"Logan do you understand?" This questions quiet and hesitant, as if she's afraid of the answer.

"I do, Ace."

He hears her let go of a sigh and she says "Thank you," before hanging up.

Logan sits in silence in his office for a good half-hour before closing out the window full of flights to Connecticut, pulling up his email, and forcing himself to continue his day.

Two days later he sends the Gilmores a package with a short, general note expressing his condolences and apologies for not making it to the funeral (he wasn't formally invited but who cares). Four days later he receives a text message for a certain brunette.

 _I'm going to be in London for a few days next month. Do you want to meet up?_

He grins as he types his reply.

 _I do, Ace._


End file.
